Smokey Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

When I was younger I absolutely hated soup. I thought of it more as a gross, hot drink filled with yucky chunky vegetables, rather than a soothing, soul warming, wholesome meal. I just didn’t understand the idea behind it and had no idea why it even existed.

Then one day, I discovered thick, creamy soups like this one and now I can’t get enough! I’ve also since come around to the idea of soups in general, but thick blended soups are still my favorites. I’ve been known to make my soups so thick that someone once asked if I was eating baby food, ha! But the beauty with this soup is that you can add as much or as little liquid as you like.

Have you guys read Kate’s “What’s In Season?” posts before? They are some of my favorite posts and I get so much inspiration looking at all the beautiful produce pictures. When I looked at her March post I was so excited to see that sweet potatoes are still in season this month.

If you know me, you know that I love sweet potatoes so I jumped on the chance to use them again. Sweet potatoes, black beans, and avocados are some of my favorite flavors so I figured they would taste great all blended together in a hearty soup. And, trust me, they really do! But the real secret ingredient in here is the smoked paprika. It is one of my favorite ingredients and adds a delicious smokey flavor to this soup that goes so well with the Mexican theme going on here. Now, it’s not mandatory, but I would really recommend topping this soup with a few big slices of avocado and some tortilla strips! I hope you all are staying warm out there 🙂

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, a pinch of salt and stir for 3 minutes. Then add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add sweet potato, black beans, and all the spices. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Using a cup or soup ladle, scoop out 2 cups of the sweet potato and black beans and set aside. Let soup cool and then using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor blend the remaining soup together. Turn the heat back on and add back in the reserved sweet potato and black beans. Heat soup, stirring occasionally, until hot.

First of all, how do so many people hate soup? My favorite after school snack was always a cup of tomato soup and apparently I’m the weirdo for that :-p This soup looks innnncredible. Anything where the name starts with smokey black bean, I’m on board.

I just can’t get enough of soup, as I could practically eat it all day, every day! This black bean soup looks amazing, Izzy! I love the sweet potatoes and smokey flavor. Definitely takes this dish to a whole new level!

This is so funny, because just last night Shawn and I were talking about things we hated as a kid. Mine was nuts. Hated nuts! Nothing was worse than getting a cookie and there was a nut in it. Oh how our taste buds evolve. This soup sounds so delicious. And healthy too! GREAT pictures Isadora!

Thank you, Natalie!! I think I’m finally figuring out how to use that Ego light! It is so funny to think of the things we hated as kids! If I had the same taste buds, I would pretty much only be eating grilled cheese and chocolate milk! Although, I do still love those foods 🙂

Oh my that post from Kate was fabulous! Thanks for pointing me to it! I couldn’t agree more about smoky paprika! Love it and especially love it paired with black beans and sweet potatoes. This soup is what I’ll be whippin up this weekend, Izzy. It’s so cozy, comforting, spicy and packed with nutrients! I’ll be fryin up a few tortilla strips too. I think Rob will be okay with this… you know, he’s not much of a sweet potato fan. I am determined to change that… hehe! xo

Isn’t it the best?! It adds such a great smokey flavor to EVERYTHING!! You gotta have the tortilla strips! Uhhh, Eric doesn’t love the sweet potatoes either! What is wrong with our men??!! If you blend this soup enough, he won’t even be able to tell though 🙂

Black beans and sweet potatoes are such an awesome combination, and this soup is right up my alley! I’m surprised I haven’t added sweet potatoes to my black bean soup yet, but I’ll definitely be doing it next time! Pinned.

What I just love about your recipes is the fantastic (and very colourful!) Mexican influence, Izzy. I also really love how healthy these thick kinds of soups are. Once you’ve made the soup it’s like eating a bowl full of vitamins without any effort!

This recipe looks delish! I am doing a round up post on nutritious soups. I would like to feature yours. Could I possibly use one of your photos, credit your site and provide a back link? Thanks for considering. Sarah

I just finished making your soup! It’s great. Thanks for the recipe! I love the way the sweet potatoes balance everything out. The only thing I changed was the addition of chipotle powder, since I had it kicking around. I will definitely be checking back for more recipes – the tostadas look delicious too!

I made this recipe, and it was delicious! I was able to omit the oil entirely and just keep an eye on the onions, moving them around regularly, while they were cooking. Since I didn’t have smoked paprika, I just used 1/4 tsp more of the regular paprika. I will definitely be making this again.

I found this recipe via Alexis @ Hummusapien (one of my favorites!). I just finished making this and it is excellent! Sweet potato, black bean and avocado is one of my favorite combos too. 🙂 It was a little too sweet for me for a black bean soup, so I added a 1/2 cup salsa, cayenne and chili powder. I just had a bowl with crushed Beanitos lime chips, avocado and a dash of Cholula and it is SO GOOD. Pinned as a keeper! Thanks so much, keep up the great work!